RC Lens produced a Champions League comeback for the ages, scoring twice in stoppage time to beat 10-man Slavia Prague 3-2 at Fortuna Arena. Dino Toppmöller’s side appeared destined for defeat after Danijel Šturm struck late to put the hosts 2-1 ahead, but Florian Thauvin and substitute Ruben Aguilar transformed the contest in a frantic final burst.

Slavia took the lead through Šturm in the 51st minute, only for former Lens forward Abdallah Sima to level the match in the 73rd. The hosts were already down to 10 men after Mikuláš Konečný’s dismissal, but they regained the advantage in the 88th minute when Šturm scored his second of the night.

Lens refused to accept defeat. Thauvin headed home in the first minute of added time after a cross from 16-year-old substitute Mezian Mesloub, before Aguilar completed the turnaround two minutes later with a low finish into the corner. The late double secured Lens’ first away victory in the Champions League since 1998.

Aguilar, who had trained with Thauvin earlier in their careers, described the finish as the kind of occasion that cannot be scripted. Thauvin was named man of the match after his influential display, while Aguilar’s winner turned an impending setback into one of the club’s most dramatic European results.

The victory gives Lens immediate momentum in the league phase and provides a powerful illustration of their resilience. With domestic fixtures and further European tests ahead, Toppmöller’s side will take confidence from a night in Prague that showed the value of persistence, depth and composure under pressure.